6 Common Myths About Sharing on Facebook

One of your top goals as the manager of a Facebook page is to get people to consume, share & engage with your content.

But there are many misconceptions about how people share content on social media:

• What do people share?
• When do they share?
• What types of people share content the most?

All very important questions!

You may think weekends are the best time to post cool stuff on Facebook.

Or that younger people are sharing on Facebook more often than their parents or grandparents.

But is it true?

A recent study from PO.ST shows that we may need to unlearn much of what we believe about sharing on Facebook.

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I've never believed in a "best" or "worst" time of day to share content on social media. But even I might reconsider how I plan posts after reading a few of these stats.

6 Common Myths About Sharing on Facebook

I'll debunk the 6 myths before you jump to the infographic:

1. Most content sharing happens on Facebook & Twitter

FACT: More than 72% of shares come from copy-and-paste activity.

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2. Users click social links at an equal rate -- regardless of the URL

FACT: Clicks increase 25% for shortened URLs with vanity domains.

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3. Shortened links have a similar lifespan regardless of when the content is initially posted

FACT: Shortened links have a longer lifespan when shared later in the week.

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4. Brand engagement peaks on weekends

FACT: People engage with shared content 49% more on weekdays.

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5. Millennial generation shares the most content

FACT: Users between the ages of 55 & 64 share the most content.

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6. Facebook offers the most referral traffic

FACT: Twitter provides more referral traffic per shared item than Facebook.

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Here's the infographic:

Conclusion

I'm still not sure about some of these findings -- a few of the stats seem a bit shaky.

What do you think?

Did any of these "facts" surprise you?